


Another Battlefield

by WildAndFreeHearts



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Cherons, Episode: so3e15 Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, Incest, M/M, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 21:48:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildAndFreeHearts/pseuds/WildAndFreeHearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU. The Soongs are the royal family of the planet Cheron, just a few years before the war that eventually destroys the planet.<br/>A.K.A.: I made Data and Lore those half-black and half-white aliens from TOS because WORDS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Battlefield

Chief Officer Bele was ever watchful and mindful of the highborn heirs of Cheron, as was his job as Advisor to the royal Soong line. Mostly he left the heir apparent Bifort alone, - the crown prince could easily have the pompous, policing fool removed from court with a partly dismissal (and fool though he was, he apparently liked his position in court) – but Bifort seemed to mischievously delight in allowing Bele to go unrestrictedly nosing about in the affairs of King Noonian’s younger son, Lore.

The first two original Soong heirs had been lost to the half-white rebellion wars - one in heated combat, and the other in heated passion; they had both lost their name rights for falling to the enemy in easily avoided incidents. The oldest had given his troop’s position away carelessly by lighting a fire in a restricted zone. The other had fallen prey to an assassinator – a half-white seductress. The last loss had taken a harsher toll on their family. The royals were who the people looked to in this time of confusion, and that a noble, the _prince_ no less, would give in into the will of a half-white… well, there was a reason he had been stripped of his name and title.

Still, the people were beginning to seriously question the strength of the once all-mighty reign of the house of Soong.  There where whispers amongst the court of Bifort’s ineligibility for the throne due to his slow mental faculties - whispers of Lore ascending the throne in his brother’s place. Whispers of growing concerns about Lore’s continued close companionship with his father’s half-white bastard, Data. That bit of gossip Bele seemed quite keen upon… the Chief Officer of Commission on Political Traitors had been the man to pass the sentence on King Noonian’s second born and had spearheaded the campaign for the name-striking of the original heir. Lore wondered if the man took some kind of sick glee in trying to dismantle the Monarchy, man by man. 

One nameless corpse left in a field, a sex slave to a half-white, a half-wit, a half-white bastard, a doddering old man, and Lore – that was all that was left of the Soong line. Yes, the court had good reason to be worried.

 It was these aggravations that Lore was currently stewing over as he sat grimly within his study. He was in his favorite grey, high-backed chair near the fire. Although a high flame was within the fireplace it would have already have been warm in the stuffy room without it. Lore found solace and his mind worked better when he stared into the embers, but even with the aid of the flickering light, in these matters he found no answers to his problems.

He was just about to sigh and give in when there was a knock at the door. Lore sat up straighter and bade enter, knowing already from the soft knock who was calling. When Data shuffled in, quietly closing the door behind him, Lore felt a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “Bother, what do you need?”

Data cast him a skeptical look, as he lowered himself down on to the rug in front of the fire, his legs crossed primly beneath him. “I didn’t realize it is required that I have a reason to be in your presence.”

Lore grinned widely and chuckled. “Don’t let Bele hear you say that.“ Then he gave a playfully reproving tut. ”And royalty doesn’t sit on the floor.“

Data shrugged and with a straight face replied “Being able to sit wherever I like is one of the few perks of being a bastard.” His face became grim and his eyes set defiantly. “Bele should mind his own business.”

  Now Lore did sigh. “’Not even a King is above the laws of the council.’” It was a mantra that their father had instilled upon all of them from childhood. The quote caused Data to wince. He knew better than the rest of the sons of Soong how true those words were; they were the words that had condemned his mother to death. For the crime of bearing the child of the half-black King, Data’s mother, King Noonian’s half-white mistress had been killed.

The room was uncomfortably quiet for long minutes, before Data spoke. “They say that Gailen must have the same sickness of the mind as father, to wish to lay with a half-white.”

Lore practically physically recoiled at the utterance of the stripped name of the fallen second heir. Then the saw the hidden pain in Data’s eyes, as he stared with pensive melancholy into the dying flames. His brother turned to look at him, barely contained grief almost peeking out from behind his carefully held mask of empirical indifference. “If I were half-black would you have me, brother?”

It was such a simple question. Yet, it was the most difficult question he had ever been asked. And if he was to be truthful with himself, this was the real question he had been throwing into the fire earlier; the question he had been throwing into the fire since he had first felt his then sixteen year old body stir at Data’s lean and sensual build.

It wasn’t unusual for a royal to take a family member as a lover, or even a partner, as it kept the bloodline intact (In Fact, Queen Juliana, Lore’s mother, had been King Noonian’s second cousin.) and gave less possible interference from outside houses and families. Marriages and children of such unions were the most celebrated in the kingdoms, as they were promises of pure royalty for the name of Soong.

But Data wasn’t royalty. He was the half-white, half-breed offspring of a cleaning maid, who had had the bad fortune of looking distinctly like an angry, drunken half-black King’s dead wife.

The half-white side of Data’s face held ominously dark moving shadows from the light of the fire. Even now, Lore’s body called out to Data. He wanted to throw the responsibility of the crown to the fore-winds and abdicate, just so he could kiss him or hold him close, as a lover would.

Lore’s hands were trembling as he brought them to cover his own face.  He didn’t know why it mattered so much; the half-black and half-white. But it did matter. To the CPT, to the court, to the people of Cheron. To him. He uncovered his face and braced himself to tell Data the absolute truth.

“Yes.” It was breathed out like a curse and a prayer.

When Lore finally dared to look at him, Data’s face betrayed no hint of emotion, although his eyes were tumultuous with rage and love. Lore knew Data must see the exact things reflected in his eyes.

 Data nodded once. “Thank you, brother.”


End file.
